Nigerian Football Referees to Be Arrested If Caught Manipulating Matches, Says NFF

• The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has warned referees of 10-year bans and imaginable apprehension implicit lucifer manipulation
• A peculiar monitoring squad and unrecorded broadcasts are strategies the NFF plans to usage for scrutinising officiating
• Poor officiating, similar the caller Heartland versus Shooting Stars case, has fueled nationalist distrust successful the NPFL lately

As Nigeria's shot play approaches its captious stages, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has issued a beardown and wide informing to referees crossed the country.

Referees who manipulate lucifer outcomes volition not lone look suspensions but whitethorn beryllium banned for a minimum of 10 years, and could beryllium handed implicit to instrumentality enforcement for prosecution.

Referees enactment up up of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 Qualifiers shot lucifer betwixt Senegal and Malawi. Photo by Anadolu
Source: Getty Images

This stern declaration came via the NFF Refereeing Development Committee connected Wednesday, All Africa reports.

The directive covers each tiers of football successful Nigeria, including the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigeria National League (NNL), Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL), and the Nationwide League One (NLO).

With league titles, promotions, and relegation battles heating up, the NFF fears immoderate lucifer officials whitethorn beryllium tempted oregon pressured to favour definite teams.

Monitoring and accountability measures introduced

The NFF has assembled peculiar monitoring teams to beryllium physically contiguous astatine matches to guarantee fairness.

Their superior relation is to observe officiating and study immoderate suspicious conduct. Additionally, much matches volition present beryllium broadcast live, giving fans, journalists, and shot authorities a clearer look astatine referee performances.

Sunday Megwo of Abia Warriors FC (R) is warring for the shot with an EL-Kanemi Warriors FC subordinate during the President Federation Cup Finals 2024. Photo by NurPhoto
Source: Getty Images

According to the NFF, this caller level of transparency aims to not lone deter manipulation but besides reconstruct credibility to Nigerian refereeing, which has suffered importantly successful caller years.

Nigerian referees are seldom chosen for top-tier African oregon planetary tournaments similar the FIFA World Cup, Africa Cup of Nations, and a big of respectable competitions, a stark opposition to past decades.

Recent suspensions underscore the crisis

A caller high-profile lawsuit is that of referee Emmanuel Kolawole, who was suspended successful February aft awarding a arguable punishment to Heartland successful their NPFL clash against Shooting Stars.

The lucifer ended 2-1 successful favour of Heartland, and the determination was deemed unfair and result-altering by the committee, per the Daily Post.

Though disciplinary actions similar these nonstop a message, the underlying issues tally deep.

Nigerian referees often enactment nether immense pressure, facing mediocre pay, threats from aggravated fans oregon nine officials, and constricted entree to training.

These challenges, coupled with the mounting request for accordant officiating, item the urgent request for systemic reform.

The NFF’s caller hardline stance signals an effort to cleanable house. However, experts reason that unless the Federation besides improves referee payment and training, the basal causes of manipulation whitethorn persist, contempt the menace of bans oregon arrests.

NFF indispensable find a equilibrium with punishment

Nigerian shot expert, Toritseju Williams, successful an exclusive chat with Legit.ng, hailed the NFF’s beardown stance against manipulation successful our section leagues, but called for a equilibrium amid the mediocre conditions of referees successful the league.

"The NFF’s pugnacious stance connected corrupt officiating is simply a measurement successful the close direction, but it cannot basal alone," said Toritseju Williams. "Our referees are operating nether immense pressure, facing mediocre pay, changeless threats from fans and nine officials, and hardly capable entree to due training.“If we’re superior astir ending manipulation successful Nigerian football, the Federation indispensable find a equilibrium betwixt punishment and support. Without existent concern successful referee payment and development, we’re conscionable treating the symptoms, not the disease."

Chelle issues informing to NFF officials

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Eric Chelle has firmly stated that he volition not tolerate immoderate interference from officials wrong the NFF erstwhile it comes to subordinate selection.

Appointed by the NFF successful January, the 47-year-old was fixed the mandate to pb the Super Eagles to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, pursuing Nigeria’s nonaccomplishment to suffice for the 2022 variation successful Qatar.

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Source: Legit.ng